Department for Education

Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act 2023

Lord Skidelsky: To ask His Majesty's Government when they plan to bring into force all the provisions of the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act of 2023, including the statutory tort contained in section 4, that have not yet come into effect.

Baroness Barran: The remaining provisions of the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act 2023 will come into force in two phases. The main provisions of the Act, including the statutory tort contained in section 4, free speech duties on higher education providers, constituent institutions and students' unions, and the new complaints scheme will come into force on 1 August 2024. The second phase involves provisions relating to new conditions of registration on providers and monitoring of overseas funding. These will come into force on 1 September 2025. This information was published by the Office for Students on 13 September 2023, see: https://www.officeforstudents.org.uk/advice-and-guidance/quality-and-standards/freedom-of-speech/changes-to-regulation/. The department will lay the necessary secondary legislation to bring the Act’s provisions into force by those dates.

Punjabi Language: GCSE

Baroness Sherlock: To ask His Majesty's Government how many students received a Panjabi GCSE in each of the past 10 years; and of those, how many were taught Panjabi in state schools.

Baroness Barran: The number of students who entered and received a Panjabi GCSE (9-1/A*-G) at the end of key stage 4 for the last 10 years in all schools and all state-funded schools can be found in the attached table. HL3184_table (xlsx, 28.5KB)

Schools: Bullying

Baroness Sherlock: To ask His Majesty's Government whatdata they collect on the religious identity of children who are bullied in schools.

Baroness Barran: The department does not hold information on the religious identity of children that are bullied in schools. The ‘National behaviour survey’ publishes data on a number of behaviour related topics, including bullying. The latest report, based on data from 2021/22, stated that 3% of those surveyed, who said they had been bullied, said it was due to their religion or belief. The ‘National behaviour survey’ can be found here: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/64809defb32b9e0012a963ce/National_Behaviour_Survey_academic_year_2021_to_22_report.pdf. The department is providing over £3 million of funding, between 10 August 2021 and 31 March 2024, to five anti-bullying organisations to support schools to tackle bullying. This includes projects targeting bullying of particular groups, such as those who are victims of hate-related bullying.

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Hamas: UNRWA

The Earl of Sandwich: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of thecontinuing role of the UNRWA in aid distribution in Gaza following allegations against some of the staff.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK provided £35 million to UNRWA this financial year, including an uplift of £16 million for the Gaza humanitarian response, all of which was disbursed before the recent allegations came to light. No more British funding is due this financial year and we are pausing any future funding of UNRWA. Our decision to pause future funding to UNRWA has had no impact on the UK's contribution to the humanitarian response. Our commitment to trebling aid to Gaza still stands and we are supporting partners including the British Red Cross, UNICEF, the UN World Food Programme (WFP) and Egyptian Red Crescent Society to respond to critical food, fuel, water, health, shelter and security needs in Gaza.

Rached Ghannouchi

Baroness Lister of Burtersett: To ask His Majesty's Government whether theyhave made any representations to the government of Tunisia concerning the case of Rached Ghannouchi, the formerSpeaker of the Assembly of the Representatives of the People, who has been detained inMornaguia civil prison since his arrest in April 2023.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We monitor the political and human rights situation in Tunisia closely. On 18 April 2023, I [Lord (Tariq) Ahmad of Wimbledon] made clear the UK's view that the wave of arrests, including of Rached Ghannouchi and restrictions on political opposition in Tunisia were eroding the space for plurality. I reiterated this message during my meeting with the Tunisian Foreign Minister on 12 October 2023. The Association Council was also an opportunity for the UK to discuss the principles and benefits of an open and democratic society, of legitimate political opposition, the separation of powers, civil society and an inclusive political process.

Norwegian Refugee Council: Finance

Baroness Deech: To ask His Majesty's Government whether they fund directly any local partner organisations of the Norwegian Refugee Council.

Baroness Deech: To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have any role in selecting and overseeing those local partner organisations of the Norwegian Refugee Council that receive money donated by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office; and, if so, what procedures are used.

Baroness Deech: To ask His Majesty's Government whether, before making donations to the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), they carry out counter-terrorism vetting of the NRC and its local partner organisations; and whether they are aware of any counter-terrorism vetting by the NRC itself of its local partner organisations.

Baroness Deech: To ask His Majesty's Government whether they are aware of any funds donated by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office to the Norwegian Refugee Council being transferred to local partner organisations that have been designated as terrorist organisations by the government of Israel.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC) is a leading international NGO and a trusted aid partner to the FCDO providing life-saving support to vulnerable populations around the world. The FCDO has a longstanding relationship with NRC, which is headquartered and registered in Oslo. NRC has a UK presence and was registered as a UK charity in December 2023.FCDO funds go directly to NRC, which in turn may provide funds to its local partner organisations. The exact selection process and any HMG involvement will vary according to the programme and context. The FCDO carries out due diligence assessments of partners it funds directly, including the NRC. The FCDO's Programme Operating Framework and associated guidance enables staff to ensure that FCDO partners in receipt of aid funds are operating in compliance with sanctions and counter-terrorism legislation. The FCDO due diligence process should consider whether partners have procedures in place to manage the risk of aid diversion in their delivery chains, such as the risk of support to sanctioned entities or proscribed terrorist groups.We are not aware of any funds provided by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office to the Norwegian Refugee Council being transferred to local partner organisations that have been designated as terrorist organisations by the government of Israel.

China: Internment

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Ahmad of Wimbledon on7 March (HL2663), whether they have made any estimate of the number of camps, including the so-called anti-extremism centres and re-education camps, in (1) Tibet and (2) the rest of China.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The Government refers to credible external estimates, in particular those from the United Nations, of numbers of individuals in China detained under various circumstances and within certain geographies. For example, the April 2023 UN Special Procedures found "[h]undreds of thousands of Tibetans have reportedly been 'transferred' from their traditional rural lives to low-skilled and low-paid employment since 2015" noting "the labour transfer programme is facilitated by a network of 'vocational training centres', which focus less on developing professional skills and more on cultural and political indoctrination in a militarised environment." As noted in the Government's response to Written Question HL2663, with regard to the situation in Xinjiang, in 2018 the UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination estimated "upwards of a million people were being held in so-called counter-extremism centres and another two million had been forced into what the Chinese refer to as 're-education camps' for political and cultural indoctrination."

UNRWA

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks byLord Cameron of Chipping Norton on 5 March (HL Deb col 1544), whether they have received theinterim report of the UN concerning allegations surrounding UNRWA staff members' involvement in the 7 October 2023 Hamas attack on Israel; whether they have any plans to reinstate funding to UNRWA; and what assessment they have made of the effectiveness of UNRWA in delivering aid in Gaza.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We are aware that the UN Office of Internal Oversight Services has released an interim report to the UN Secretary-General. We are pressing Catherine Colonna to produce a rapid interim report on the investigation into UNRWA's neutrality.We want UNRWA to give detailed undertakings about changes in personnel, policy and precedents to ensure this can never happen again. We are working with allies to try to bring this situation to a rapid conclusion - not least because UNRWA have a vital role to play in providing aid and services in Gaza, and the wider region.

UNRWA: Finance

The Earl of Sandwich: To ask His Majesty's Government what impact the UK's suspension of funding for UNRWA had on its performance in delivering aid to Gaza in the last financial year; and what is their forecast of funding in 2024.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK provided £35 million to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) this financial year, including an uplift of £16 million for the Gaza humanitarian response, all of which was disbursed before the recent allegations came to light. No more British funding is due this financial year and we are pausing any future funding of UNRWA.Our decision to pause future funding has no impact on the UK's contribution to the humanitarian response. We remain committed to getting humanitarian aid to people in Gaza who desperately need it, including through other UN agencies and British charities. On 13 March, the Government announced a further £10 million in aid funding to bring UK support to more than £100 million this financial year. UK funding has supported the work of partners including the British Red Cross, World Food Programme, UNICEF and Egyptian Red Crescent Society (ERCS) to deliver vital supplies.

Afghanistan and Iran: Women

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask His Majesty's Government what considerationthey are giving to the report of the Gender Apartheid InquiryShattering Women's Rights, Shattering Lives,launched on 4 March, and whether they intend to formally respond to its findings and recommendations.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The FCDO is aware of the report. There are complex legal and political questions which arise in considering any new crime of 'gender apartheid'. We are considering these questions and consulting legal advisers and subject matter experts.We have repeatedly condemned Taliban and Iranian policies and actions that restrict the rights of women and girls. Officials from the UK Mission to Afghanistan regularly press Taliban acting ministers to reverse their harmful policies on women and girls. Since Iran's mass protests of 2022-23, we have sanctioned 94 individuals or entities for human rights abuses, including senior decision makers responsible for Iran's oppressive hijab law. We will continue to work with the international community to address women and girls' rights issues in Afghanistan and Iran.

Women and Equalities

Equal Pay: Ethnic Groups

Lord Shinkwin: To ask His Majesty's Government what was the ethnicity pay gap for (1) people of Bangladeshi heritage, (2) people of Pakistani heritage, and (3) people of African Caribbean heritage, for each of the past five years.

Baroness Barran: The most recent data available on UK ethnicity pay gaps is for 2022. The adjusted pay gaps for the most recent 5 years (2018 to 2022) for the Bangladeshi, Pakistani and Caribbean ethnic groups are provided below. A positive percentage value for the ethnicity pay gap means that the relevant ethnic group earns less than the white reference group. Adjusted Ethnicity Pay GapsBangladeshiPakistaniCaribbean2022UK born 8.3% Non UK born 17.4%UK born estimate considered unreliable (-2.0%) Non UK born 14.1%UK born 3.3% Non UK born 4.7%2021UK born 18.3% Non UK born 20.4%UK born 9.5% Non UK born 11.9%UK born 8.0% Non UK born 10.5%2020UK born 3.5% Non UK born 22.6%UK born 12.1% Non UK born 20.8%UK born 4.2% Non UK born estimate considered unreliable (3.7%)2019UK born 7.0% Non UK born 20.6%UK born 3.2% Non UK born 16.0%UK born 6.3% Non UK born 11.9%2018UK born 9.7% Non UK born 28.7%UK born 6.1% Non UK born 14.7%UK born 7.5% Non UK born 9.4%Adjusted pay gaps account for a variety of pay determining characteristics such as occupation, age, sex and geographical region. These figures are split into UK and non-UK born as we do not have the overall adjusted pay gap available for these specific ethnic groups. Further data on ethnicity pay gaps is available from the ONS website at https://www.ons.gov.uk/employmentandlabourmarket/peopleinwork/earningsandworkinghours/articles/ethnicitypaygapsingreatbritain/2012to2022/relateddata.Closing ethnicity pay gaps requires much wider shifts in society. Our ambitious Inclusive Britain strategy, published in March 2022, set out 74 bold actions to tackle entrenched ethnic disparities in employment, education, health and criminal justice. This includes our comprehensive guidance for employers on ethnicity pay reporting, published last April, which set out best practice on measuring, analysing and reporting ethnicity pay gaps. We also launched an Inclusion at Work Panel last year aimed at helping employers achieve fairness and inclusion in the workplace.

Equality and Human Rights Commission

Baroness Barker: To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions the Minister for Women and Equalities, or her officials or advisers, have had withEquality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) about theEHRC's investigationof Baroness Falkner of Margravine; and what assessment they have made of the conduct of that investigation, including the EHRC's decisionsto suspend and later to terminate it.

Baroness Barran: As has been the case under successive administrations, the Government does not publish granular details of Ministerial meetings or discussions.As an executive non departmental public body, the EHRC is operationally independent of Government. Any decisions related to the investigation are a matter for the EHRC to handle under its rules and procedures.

Equality and Human Rights Commission

Baroness Barker: To ask His Majesty's Government on which dates since 24 July 2018 the Minister for Women and Equalities contacted officers or board members of the Equality and Human Rights Commission and discussed the Commission’s operational matters; in each case, what operational matters were discussed, and what were the outcomes of those discussions.

Baroness Barran: As has been the case under successive administrations, the Government does not publish granular details of Ministerial meetings or discussions.

Treasury

Financial Services: Carbon Emissions

Baroness Drake: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the role of the financial sector, including the pension sector, in decarbonising the UK economy while safeguarding investors' interests.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The Government recognises crucial role of the financial sector in decarbonising the economy, whilst safeguarding investors. As set out in The Green Finance Strategy in March 2023, the Department of Work and Pensions have committed to hold a series of stakeholder roundtables on this matter, planned for this Spring. The Financial Reporting Council have also committed to undertake a fundamental review of the UK Stewardship Code 2020.

Exchange Rates

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask His Majesty's Government whatassessment they have made of the impact of the recent strengthening in sterling on inflation in the UK; and whatassessment they have made of the effect this may have on the timing and magnitude of monetary policy adjustments made by the Bank of England.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) is the government’s official forecaster. They published their latest assessment of the economic and fiscal outlook (EFO) on 6th March. The OBR noted that the trade weighted sterling effective exchange rate had strengthened by around 2 per cent since their November 2023 forecast. Inflation has halved since its peak in October 2022 and was 4.0% in January 2024. In the March EFO, the OBR note that inflation has fallen more sharply than they expected in November, and now expect inflation to fall below 2% in Q2 2024 – a year earlier than previously expected.Monetary Policy is the responsibility of the independent Monetary Policy Committee of the Bank of England. Therefore, it is right the Government does not comment on the conduct of monetary policy.

Bank of England: Climate Change

Baroness Drake: To ask His Majesty's Government when they anticipate the Bank of England will publish the results of its second climate biennial exploratory scenarios, the first having been published in May 2022.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The Government welcomes the results of the Bank’s Climate Biennial Exploratory Scenario (CBES), which has been an important milestone in assessing UK system-wide exposures and boosting firms’ capabilities to assess climate-related risk. Following publication of the CBES results in 2022[1], a Prudential Regulation Authority letter to CEOs[2] set out feedback on how to enhance scenario analysis and further embed supervisory expectations. In recognition that this feedback will take time to embed, the Bank has publicly stated that it will not launch a concurrent exercise in the near-term that further explores climate risks. The Bank also affirmed in its 2023 report on climate-related risks and the regulatory capital frameworks[3] that it will further develop its capabilities to test the resilience of the financial system to climate risks- including how scenario exercises and stress tests can help the Bank and firms understand the exposure of the financial system to risks and progress work to understand material regime gaps in the capital frameworks. Further, the Bank continues to support the development of climate scenarios as a member of the NGFS’s dedicated “Scenario Design and Analysis” Workstream. The Bank of England has statutory responsibilities for monetary policy and financial stability, and operational independence from the Government to carry out those objectives. [1] CBES results[2] Prudential Regulation Authority letter to CEOs[3] 2023 report on climate-related risks and the regulatory capital frameworks

Cryptocurrencies

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to mitigate any risks associated with trading crypto-backed exchange traded notes by professional investors, particularlyin relation to market manipulation and investor protection.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The question of whether to allow the listing of exchange-traded products that reference cryptoassets is a matter for the Financial Conduct Authority as the independent regulator.

Shein: London Stock Exchange

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask His Majesty's Government, following reporting that Shein is considering listing on the London Stock Exchange, what steps they are taking to ensure that such listings do not violate the UK’s commitments to uphold the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights and International Labour Organization Conventions.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The Government does not comment on individual companies. Furthermore, a decision to apply for a listing is for an individual firm to make. It is then for the independent regulator, the Financial Conduct Authority, to decide whether a firm meets the requirements of the UK listings rules.

Financial Services: Equality

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to accelerate progress towards gender equality in the financial services industry.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The Government has a wide programme of work aimed at tackling gender inequality and supporting women in the workplace. Since 2017, organisations with 250 or more employees have been required to publish specific data on their gender pay gaps annually, ensuring they are aware of their gender pay gaps and are taking steps to improve gender equality in their organisation. The Government has taken action to ensure that working parents can balance work and care by expanding childcare entitlements, making flexible working simpler to access, and introducing carer's leave.Regarding the financial services industry specifically, the Government has taken action to ensure the sector remains world-class, and as productive, innovative and competitive as it can be. In 2016, the Government launched the Women in Finance Charter, which aims to ensure that the right talent is being attracted to the sector and that the best and brightest can continue to rise to the top, regardless of their gender.The Charter’s Annual Reviews have consistently shown that the Charter has stimulated positive progress across the sector. Participation in the Charter is voluntary, and the first wave of signatories to the Charter started out with an average level of senior female representation of 27%. The signatory base has grown since then and average representation now stands at 35%.The Treasury Committee’s Sexism in the City inquiry recently made a number of recommendations to the industry, the regulators and Government to consider in order to accelerate progress. The Government will respond to the report and its recommendations in due course.

Exchange Rates: Overseas Trade

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of recent fluctuations in the exchange rate of the pound sterling on the price of imports and exports.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: Many factors have been relevant in driving movements in aggregate trade prices. While movements in the exchange rate would likely have influenced these changes in trade prices, movements in broader global prices (such as energy and other tradable commodities) have been a far bigger factor in driving movements in aggregate trade prices.

Ministry of Defence

Combined Cadet Force

Lord Naseby: To ask His Majesty's Government why there were not enough places for all Combined Cadet Force units to attend its summer camp in 2023.

Lord Naseby: To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have any plans for all Combined Cadet Force units to have representation at its summer camp in 2024.

The Earl of Minto: The Combined Cadet Force (CCF) delivers a broad and exciting programme to pupils in schools throughout the year. It is recognised that the highlight for many pupils is attendance at a summer training or activity camp, with many of these delivered by the single Service Cadet Teams. There is a limit to the number of cadets that can participate in annual summer camps, and we do not aim to provide every cadet with a place on summer camp every year. Furthermore, global events in recent years have reduced the availability of the Ministry of Defence’s training estate for all cadet activity, not just the CCF. The single Services work hard to ameliorate this by seeking alternative opportunities where possible, and many thousands of cadets continue to take part in centrally delivered camps and training over the summer, with the Army alone providing up to 12,000 cadet places in their camps annually. Of note, in 2023, of the 12,000 spaces offered over a three-week period, only approximately 9,500 spaces were taken up. This was partly because schools have limited windows of availability and tend to vie for the same time, which cannot be matched with available real-estate or training team assets. We continue to refine the model by standardising the experience from across the different regions and adopting best practice. For instance, over the next few years we will look to combine Cadet Training Teams and other resources to create a ‘super camp’ concept to deliver activities more efficiently and create more spaces for cadets to participate. Additionally, CCF Contingents can plan and deliver their own annual camp if they wish to and may be funded to do so. Contingents may receive support via subject matter expert guidance in planning and assuring the activities and may also be supported financially in areas such as transport booking, and in equipment and resources required to deliver the training package. Many school-based Contingents choose to deliver this option annually and provide exciting and challenging activities for their cadets. Other than centralised camps, there are many other summer camp opportunities for cadets in the CCF including adventurous training through the Cadet Centre for Adventurous Training. Music and Cyber camps are also available for CCF cadets to attend if that is where their interest lies.

Army: Cadets

Lord Naseby: To ask His Majesty's Government whether funding for the Army Cadet Forces has been reduced; and if so, why.

The Earl of Minto: To enable the Army to continue to deliver within its financial control total, there has been a small reduction in the funding allocated to the Army Cadet Force. I can assure the Noble Lord that the Army continues to deliver a challenging and rewarding Cadet experience which benefits our young people, the Army and the wider Nation.

Army: Cadets

Lord Naseby: To ask His Majesty's Government whether the Army Cadet Forces are still permitted to fire live weapons.

The Earl of Minto: Yes. Army Cadets are still permitted to fire live weapons as part of the Army Cadet syllabus. The operating of live weapons by the Army Cadets is regulated through the Small Arms School Corps, with input from National Governing Bodies. Army Cadets do not take part in any Live Fire Tactical Training.

The Senior Deputy Speaker

House of Lords Chamber: Bishops

Baroness Bottomley of Nettlestone: To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker what plans he has, if any, to review the requirements for the Lords Spiritual to wear robes in the Chamber at times other than when they are saying prayers.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble: Paragraph 4.15 of the Companion describes the robes of rochet and chimere that the Lords Spiritual wear in the Chamber. The Procedure and Privileges Committee has no plans to review this requirement.

House of Lords: Bishops

Baroness Bottomley of Nettlestone: To ask the Senior Deputy Speaker whether the House of Lords funds the purchase and ongoing maintenance, including laundry, of robes worn by the Lords Spiritual.

Lord Gardiner of Kimble: The House does not fund the purchase or maintenance of the robes worn by the Lords Spiritual.

Department for Transport

Railways: Standards

Lord Birt: To ask His Majesty's Government what percentage of trains on Network Rail did not arrive at their destination on time in the last four-weekly period for which data are available.

Lord Davies of Gower: In the period 7 January to 3 February 2024, 66.7% of recorded station stops in Great Britain arrived ‘On Time’ (early or less than one minute after the scheduled time).

Railways: Standards

The Marquess of Lothian: To ask His Majesty's Government how many trains per day have been cancelled so far in 2024; how this compares to the daily figure for 2023; and what action they are taking to work with the operating companies to reduce the number of cancellations.

Lord Davies of Gower: The Department recognises that cancellations can be very inconvenient for passengers and prevents them from travelling with confidence. That is why the Department holds train operators to account for cancellations. The type of scrutiny depends on the reasons for these cancellations and the inconvenience to passengers. The Office of Rail and Road (ORR) publishes official cancellation statistics on its online Data Portal, which show that the number of services planned to run in Great Britain between 8 January 2023 and 6 January 2024 was 7,012,172. Of these, 336,289 were either fully or partially cancelled. Between 7 January 2024 and 2 March 2024, the number of services planned to run were 1,106,087, of which 47,904 services have been either fully or partially cancelled.

Railways: North of England

Lord Bradshaw: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Davies of Gower on 6 March (HL2700), when they expect the train service specification for the TransPennine route to be finalised and approved.

Lord Davies of Gower: Network Rail will be using standard industry processes to progressively formalise train service changes as the programme progresses, in line with the TransPennine Route Upgrade’s (TRU’s) key delivery milestones. The last stage of the fully approved timetables will be in place in the early 2030s when the full service uplift, which TRU enables, is able to come on line.

Railways: Compensation

Lord Bradshaw: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Davies of Gower on 6 March (HL2702), whether any proportion of the costs of the Delay Repay scheme have resulted in a direct cost to public funds; and if so, how much.

Lord Davies of Gower: At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, when revenues dropped very significantly, the Government introduced emergency agreements that transferred day-to-day revenue and cost risks to the Department. These agreements protected services that key workers depended on. Under the agreements, the Government effectively receives the revenue and pays an operator’s reasonable costs, subject to the revenue incentive mechanism introduced recently to encourage operators to grow patronage and revenues. Operators are compensated by the Government for all reasonable costs incurred that are accumulated in accordance with the terms of the contract, including those in relation to Delay Repay. Payments made to rail passengers for Delay Repay as well as discretionary compensation are published annually, and for 2022-23 totalled £101 million.

Oxford Station: Disability

Baroness Deech: To ask His Majesty's Government whatdiscussions they have had with Network Rail concerning access by disabled people to Oxford station during the period of construction works there.

Lord Davies of Gower: I understand that Network Rail has consulted with local accessibility groups in planning its current construction works at Oxford station. During construction, access within the station will be unaffected by the works and considerably improved with the delivery of the new western entrance.

Chiltern Line

Lord Bradshaw: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Davies of Gower on 6 March (HL2701), whether they have received any representations from Chiltern Railways about ending the direct access services between Northolt Junction and Paddington.

Lord Davies of Gower: There are no plans to reinstate direct access services from Northolt Junction to Paddington. Chiltern Railways used to run a twice-daily service from Northolt Junction (i.e. South Ruislip Station) to London Paddington. In December 2018, this route was cancelled with the closure of the Acton to Northolt line to enable High Speed 2 works. Chiltern Railways made representations to alternatively run to West Ealing via the Greenford branch line, however this was not possible due to Crossrail capacity constraints.

Department of Health and Social Care

Mental Health Services: Standards

Lord Hay of Ballyore: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to improve mental health services and reduce waiting times for those seeking treatment.

Lord Markham: We are providing record levels of investment and increasing the mental health workforce to expand and transform National Health Service mental health services, to expand access and reduce waiting times. Between 2018/19 and 2023/24, NHS spending on mental health has increased by £4.6 billion in cash terms, as compared to the target of £3.4 billion in cash terms set out at the time of the NHS Long Term Plan. The plan committed to grow the mental health workforce by an additional 27,000 staff between 2019/20 and 2023/24. We are making positive progress, delivering two-thirds of this, approximately 17,000, by September 2023, with further significant growth expected by the end of this financial year.The NHS is also working towards implementing five new waiting time measures for people requiring mental healthcare in both accident and emergency and in the community, for both adults, and children and young people. This includes working towards improving the quality of data that we have on waiting times for people requiring mental healthcare in both accident and emergency and in the community. NHS England began publishing this new data in 2023 to improve transparency and drive local accountability.

National Food Crime Unit

Lord Rooker: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Markham on 2 May 2023 (HL7168) whether the National Food Crime Unit of the Food Standards Agency now has the necessary powers to present cases to the courts.

Lord Markham: The Food Standards Agency’s (FSA) National Food Crime Unit (NFCU) works to prevent, detect, and investigate fraud within our food system. My Rt hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care has the power under the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 to grant food crime officers with access to powers, such as those under the Police and Criminal Evidence (PACE) Act 1984. The laying of secondary legislation to grant these powers and bring the FSA under the necessary oversight of the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) is subject to a short delay from the original laying date of 14 March 2024. One of the statutory instruments (SI) is extremely detailed and requires further resourcing from the FSA and iteration with the IOPC to resolve key policy points. However, good progress is being made with the SI, and a revised laying date is to be requested from the Cabinet Office, which is expected to be this side of the summer recess.While the FSA is in the process of agreeing a revised laying date, food crime officers in the NFCU are still able to continue with core business, and progressing food fraud investigations. However, having access to PACE powers will reduce reliance on policing partners and will better equip food crime officers with the powers they need to deal with food fraud more effectively and autonomously. Work to develop and implement mandatory training for food crime officers who will use PACE powers, and the development of an internal complaints process, remains on course to be delivered ahead of the SIs coming into force.

Respiratory Syncytial Virus: Vaccination

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask His Majesty's Government whenthey will decide on the tender for the Respiratory Syncytial Virus immunisation for infants and young adults.

Lord Markham: The Government has engaged the market on its requirements for products that would enable respiratory syncytial virus vaccination programmes to be implemented for infants and older adults, as advised by the Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation. Final decisions on these programmes have not yet been taken. There are no plans for a respiratory syncytial virus vaccination programme for young adults.The Invitation to Offer was published on 24 January 2024, and closed on 29 February. Bids received will now be evaluated based on cost-effectiveness. Following this, a full business case will be developed for the Government’s approval this spring.

Physician Associates

The Lord Bishop of Chelmsford: To ask His Majesty's Government, in view of the expected growth in the supply of physician associates (PAs) to 10,000 by 2036–37 under the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan, how many PAs are expected to work in each setting.

Lord Markham: Physician Associates (PAs) currently work in over 40 specialties across primary, secondary, and community care, each determined by local needs and decisions. The largest proportion of the PA workforce works with doctors and other colleagues in primary care, followed by emergency and acute medicine. Other specialties include geriatrics, stroke, community, dermatology, and ear, nose, and throat. We have not made a central assessment of where we expect PAs to work in 2036/37. PAs' work must be undertaken within local clinical governance rules, and under the supervision or oversight of a senior doctor.

Antidepressants: Children

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask His Majesty's Government howmany antidepressant prescriptions were issued to patients under the age of 18 in each year since 2014.

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask His Majesty's Government how many antidepressant prescriptions were issued to patients under the age of 25 in each year since 2014.

Lord Markham: Many medicines, including medicines used to treat depression, are licensed and prescribed for other conditions. The Department expects prescribers to always satisfy themselves that the medicines they consider appropriate for their patients can be safely prescribed.The following table shows the number of patients aged under 18 and 25 years old, who were prescribed antidepressants, each year from 2015 to 2023:YearAntidepressants prescribed to people under 18 years oldAntidepressants prescribed to people under 25 years old2015/16312,1132,477,7982016/17332,7062,759,9532017/18346,1262,910,6072018/19367,8503,202,7842019/20393,7623,525,6022020/21406,3913,890,3472021/22437,3654,170,1542022/23448,5154,119,463Source: NHS Business Services AuthorityNotes:This is based on the information within the published statistics for medicines used in mental health, that uses British National Formulary section 0403 for antidepressant drugs, prescribed in England and dispensed in the community in England, Scotland, Wales, the Isle of Man, or the Channel Islands.Prescriptions do not state the purpose for which they are written, so there may be instances where medicines are used for other conditions.

Physician Associates

Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle: To ask His Majesty's Government why the NHS England’s Network Contract Directed Enhanced Service specifies that physician associates employed under the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme have key responsibility for providing first point of contact care for patients presentingwith undifferentiated, undiagnosed problems.

Lord Markham: Physician Associates have been part of the National Health Service workforce for a number of years. They are an important part of clinical teams across the NHS, providing support to thousands of patients every day, under the supervision of doctors.The Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme provides funding for a number of additional roles, including Physician Associates, to help create bespoke, multi-disciplinary teams. All these roles are in place to assist general practice (GP) doctors in reducing their workload and assisting patients directly with their needs, allowing doctors to focus on more complex patients and other priorities, including continuity of care. Physician Associates work alongside GPs and the wider practice team to provide care as part of the multidisciplinary team.

Health Professions

Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle: To ask His Majesty's Government, following the protection of the titles “physician associate” and “anaesthesia associate” under the Anaesthesia Associates and Physician Associates Order 2024, when they plan to provide protection for other medical titles which are not already protected.

Lord Markham: All healthcare professional regulators have protected titles relating to the professions they regulate. There are currently 64 protected titles across 10 professional health and care regulators. The Government’s regulatory reform programme, which is already underway, will consider protected titles more broadly.

Department for Energy Security and Net Zero

Small Modular Reactors

Lord Naseby: To ask His Majesty's Government what is the reason for the further delay in Great British Nuclear making a decision on selecting small modular reactor designs, which was to have been by the spring to allow for development contracts to be agreed by the summer, and what is now the proposed schedule.

Lord Callanan: There is no delay. At Spring Budget, we announced the launch of the next phase of the Great British Nuclear (GBN) Small Modular Reactor selection process, allowing vendors to bid for potentially multi-billion-pound technology development contracts. It is important that this process is robust. Companies will have until June to submit their tender responses, at which point GBN will assess these and negotiate final contracts, with the goal of announcing successful bidders later in 2024. The aim is for the competition to be the fastest of its kind in the world.

Department for Science, Innovation and Technology

UK Cyber Security Council

Lord Browne of Ladyton: To ask His Majesty's Government, with regard to theirGovernment Cyber Security Strategy: 2022–2030, published on 25 January 2022, whatassessment they have made of the UK Cyber Security Council’s progress in developing consistent taxonomies, standards and pathways for the cyber security profession across the UK.

Viscount Camrose: The UK Cyber Security Council was established to develop professional standards so that cyber security can be appropriately recognised as a profession, similar fields such as accounting and engineering. In October 2023, the Council announced that over 100 cyber security practitioners had been awarded professional titles (including chartered status) and this number is increasing. The Council has used its standards to outline pathways into and through the cyber security profession by creating a Cyber Careers Framework. The Council continues to work with stakeholders in government, industry, and academia to ensure that the standards it sets are relevant, accessible, and demand consistent high quality from cyber security practitioners throughout the UK.